Tennessee and Georgia both moved one step closer toward winning some of the $4.35 billion in Race to the Top funding, the U.S. Department of Education announced today.
Fifteen states and the District of Columbia have advanced, and the winners will be chosen in April.
Race to the Top money is part of President Obama’s stimulus package, aimed at turning around schools and districts through better teachers, assessments and use of student data.
Forty states and D.C. schools applied. The finalists are:
* Colorado
* Delaware
* District of Columbia
* Florida
* Georgia
* Illinois
* Kentucky
* Louisiana
* Massachusetts
* New York
* North Carolina
* Ohio
* Pennsylvania
* Rhode Island
* South Carolina
* Tennessee